I'm sure that many people, upon finishing A Crown Of Swords (ACOS), were wondering who 'The One Who Is No Longer' was. The girls found the Bowl Of The Winds (with Mat's help, of course), but the road to that bowl seemed so circumstantial and dovienya-enhanced... We know, however, that this is a work of fiction, and that means that very little is left to chance - nearly everything we read is planned out and mapped beforehand (to a certain extent).

Therefore, we have to conclude that 'The One Who Is No Longer' was someone we met in ACOS, someone that Elayne and Nynaeve had contact with, but also Mat, too, because he's as much a part of this quest as anybody. The conclusion that many readers (and the WOT FAQ) have arrived at is that this mysterious person is most likely Setalle Anan, the innkeeper. Mat stays at her inn and is highly regarded by her, for, we suspect, maternal reasons. Her reaction to Elayne and Nynaeve (initially) was certainly one of a mother's, and then she hauls the girls off to the Kin in order, she thinks, to save them. Without her, they never would have found the Kin, and therefore the Bowl.

Yet Setalle Anan is a mysterious woman, and if we are to assume she is 'The One', then we have to ask ourselves why. My theory? She used to be the Amyrlin Seat.

That's okay, catch your breath. Or control your snickers. (mmmm, snickers)

Let's assume, for the moment, that Setalle Anan used to be an Amyrlin. What reasons can there be for such a proposition?

1. Setalle Anan knows not only of the Kin, but why the Kin exists and the lengths they go to keep themselves secret. As she is not apparently Aes Sedai or a wilder, how did she find out about them? We know they assisted in her first childbirth, but it is unlikely such a secretive group would babble to a pregnant woman. It is more likely that Setalle was able to identify channelers' traits because she either lived in Tar Valon at one time or was an Aes Sedai.
2. Her knowledge of Aes Sedai practices, rituals, and internal laws is a bit too complete for an average citizen, but would be second nature to a former Aes Sedai.
3. In the decade surrounding the Aiel War, Tar Valon went through quite a large number of Amyrlins. It is not unreasonable to assume that Setalle, with her extensive knowledge of Aes Sedai matters (for a supposed civilian), could have been one of those Amyrlins.
4. The Kin has a great deal of respect for Anan. More respect than you would generally attribute to an innkeeper. More respect, perhaps, than they would give an Aes Sedai.

Let's examine some excerpts from the text, three parts where the Kin directly refer to Setalle (I use the word 'directly' very loosely, as you will see).

Why would the older woman humble herself so to the younger, and why would the younger allow it, however halfheartedly?
- ACOS, Ch. 23, p. 393

Indeed. What happens when an Amyrlin, or any Aes Sedai for that matter, is robbed of her powers? She wants to die. What is usually done with her? Marries her off to give her a reason for living. How do you suppose she feels about this? Angry? Probably. Depressed? Most definitely. Embarrassed? Highly likely. Think about it - a former Aes Sedai was a respected woman, with a great deal of power... who is now a mere civilian. Given the passage of time, if this woman survives, I would imagine the first two emotions would fade away. But whenever someone like a Kin member shows her respect, she likely would feel embarrassment. How would you feel if Robert Jordan came up to you and praised something you'd written? Happy, proud, and a little embarrassed. After all, you're the one who's supposed to be giving the respect, not getting. All this would explain Setalle's halfhearted reaction.

"That was Setalle Anan? How did she --? Light of Heaven! Even after seventy years, the Tower would --"
- ACOS, Ch. 23, pg. 395

The Tower would what? But of course Garenia stops herself before she could actually tell us something useful. If Setalle was an Aes Sedai, Garenia's second question might be: 'How did she -- survive?' Then her next sentence could be interpreted in a multitude of ways. The time period mentioned, 'seventy years', is important. Is Garenia referring to herself, or to Anan? Since her topic of discussion is Setalle, she's probably referring to the innkeeper. Obviously, then, Anan has been walking the earth for at least seventy years, an impressive feat for someone who is not described as such an age (more like late forties, early fifties). Of course, if Anan was Aes Sedai, the agelessness factor would explain that. What happened seventy years ago? Not much... Verin's plans began seventy years ago, but there's really nothing else.

"Remember who she is, Garenia," Reanne said sharply. "If Setalle had betrayed us, we would be crawling to Tar Valon, begging forgiveness the whole way... She has kept the few secrets she knows from gratitude, and I doubt that has faded. She would have died in her first childbirth if the Kin had not helped her. What she knows comes from careless tongues... and the owners of those tongues were punished more than twenty years ago."
- ACOS, Ch. 24, p. 404

This is as much information as we're going to get from the Kin (at least for now), but some hypotheses can be formed from the above. 'Remember who she is' - an innkeeper is hardly a threat to the Kin, but a former Aes Sedai might be. 'If Setalle had betrayed us' - this suggests an earlier situation in which Anan had the opportunity to expose the Kin, but did not. Obviously in this situation, Anan was in some position of power, a position for her voice to be heard and her opinions measured. 'She has kept the few secrets she knows from gratitude... She would have died' - This indicates that even though Setalle is no longer in that position of power, her mouth remains closed because of that favour the Kin did for her. 'What she knows comes from careless tongues... and the owners of those tongues were punished more than twenty years ago.' - What this suggests is that her knowledge of the Kin's existence came when Anan was in her position of power, more than twenty years ago. What was going on around that time? The Aiel War. Amyrlins popping up like Tom Arnold on amphetamines. And many, many events that are Sealed To The Flame, according to Leane, Siuan, Elaida, and Alviarin. That whole period of time is by far the murkiest, and in ACOS, so many obscure references were made to it that I have to believe that some of the new characters we meet in this book are linked to that period in some way.

Here's my interpretation of the above three passages in terms of a possible scenario:

Setalle Anan, under another name, was Amyrlin during the time of the Aiel War (probably right after). While she's on the Seat, she finds out about the Kin, perhaps from a couple of Kin members who suggest that the Kin might be able to assist the Aes Sedai in the war. (This would neatly precursor the current enlistment of the Kin by Elayne) Setalle thinks this is a good idea, but her power as the Amyrlin is being seriously compromised by the Sitters (it happens all the time, right?). For political and practical reasons, Setalle is stilled, but the stilling (just like Siuan's) is not publicized, even to the general Aes Sedai population. (That would explain why her stilling isn't mentioned by anybody so far) With the Aiel War either continuing or just ending, Tar Valon cannot be seen to look weak and indecisive, so they boot Setalle out and toss in another sucker.

At this point, the narrative could go two ways: one, the Kin helps Setalle out of the city and eventually to Ebou Dar, where she is found a husband and an inn. Or two, Aes Sedai bring her to Ebou Dar, marry her off, and forget about her. Within nine months of her marriage, she has a child, and the Kin must step in once again to make sure she survives.

Seems looney? 'The One Who Is No Longer': the woman who was Aes Sedai and Amyrlin, but who is no longer. All of the proof I offer is circumstantial and barely substantial, but Light, Jordan doesn't give us much to work with!

We have seen throughout the series that Jordan likes to bring things together in a grand fashion. People are always turning out to be much more than they initially seem. Moiraine, for example: first, she's just an Aes Sedai. Later, we find out she's a Damodred and damn close to the Cairhien throne, and she's one of the most powerful Aes Sedai. Thom Merrilin, just a gleeman... who used to boink Queen Morgase fairly frequently just a decade ago. Aram will probably turn out to be the direct descendant of Beidomon. In that context, Setalle Anan as Amyrlin is not such a far-fetched concept. I really don't think we've seen the last of Setalle, and with the Seanchan invading Ebou Dar, I'm guessing she'll be swept up into the middle of the action along with Thom, Juilin, and Mat.

Update: Winter's Heart - Just when we thought we'd never see Setalle Anan again, Mat jumps back into her life, and we discover that Setalle was hiding Joline in the cellar. The most interesting part of these scenes was when Mat had Setalle try on the bracelet.

With a cry, the Aes Sedai fell to the floor, writhing in agony. She could not form words, only increasingly louder moans. She huddled in on herself, her arms and legs and even her fingers twitching and crooking at odd angles.
Setalle dropped to her knees as soon as Joline hit the floor, her hands going to the collar, but she was no quicker than Blaeric and Fen, though their actions did seem odd. Kneeling, Blaeric raised a wailing Joline and supported her against his chest while he began to massage her neck, of all things. Fen worked his fingers along her arms. The collar came loose, and Setalle fell back on her heels, but Joline continued to jerk and whimper, and her Warders continued to work over her as though trying to rub away cramps.
-Winter's Heart, 'Another Plan', p. 557

This is an extreme reaction for testing an a'dam. Remember the Seanchan like to snap bracelets on men to test for channeling ability, and the result of that is similar to what happened here. As well, when a bracelet is put on a woman without channeling ability, nothing happens. What conclusions can we draw from this incident? Well, either Setalle Anan can channel saidin as male channelers do, or she's been stilled. Imagine the reaction through the a'dam as Joline feels the sensation of being severed from the True Source. This is the strongest indication yet that Setalle was once an Aes Sedai, or at the very least, a female channeler.